Gear



April 5, 1932.

*,G. A, DALTON ET AL GEAR Filed Jan. 19, 1928 Patented Apr.'y 5, 193.2.` I

i unirse;STATES PATENT ortica Y anonce v.s riailroiv ann JOHN n. DU'NHAM, `or HIGHLAND relax,l NEW JERSEY GEAR Application ledhanuary 1919285 Serial No. 247,887.

rl`his invention relates to vimprovements in i gears, andthe principal objectofthe invenimprovements injgears of ythetype forming the subject of our copending application,

Serial Number 178,234, filed March 25, 1927.`

. .inthe attached drawings:

f Figure l is a side vieivoi afpartially formed gear `made in accordance with our invention is a section on the line 2-2, Fig. l;

.,eFigs, t, 5,- 6, 7 and 4v8, are fragmentary sectional views illustrating modilications `Within.thescope ot the invention of the gear shoivnin-Figs; -l and 2 Fig; 9 is a side view illustrating a further inodilied form of gear,and Y. Figli() is afsection on the line 10-10, Fig. 9.

VJhile other than metal which are relatively quiet in operation, the metal gears have certain advantages oi durability and strength which vare essential in certain'types of mechanism and are highly desirable under any circuinstances. ln our copending application mentioned above, We have described a novel form Y or" gear composed entirely of metal and so formed as to materially reduce operating noises. Essentially these gears consist oi a laminated structure. that by modifying ythe gears of this type in accordance with certainA principles hereine after set Jforth, the operating noises may still `further be reduced, and, iniact,practically eliminated.

Referring to Figs. 1 and 2, i*L Will be noted that the gear therein illustrated comprises tivo side plates or shrouds l, 1betiveen which are held a. plurality of relatively thin disks 2 constituting the `ina-in body ofthe gear. These parte are held together in desirable compression by means in the present instance of rivets 3 passed transverselythrough the shroudsand through the disks 2. We have discovered that by'relieving the transverse `pressure upon the disks 2 in the peripheral vbodiinent of the invention illustrated in Fig.

gears have been made of materialsV Vle have discovered yshrouds in'laminated .form by securing to' or toothed portion-oi` this gear, the noises of opcrationare materially reduced, the gearl sacriticingnone of the Wearing propertiesof the gear as previously formed. In that ein-k` 2, it Willbe noted that the inner faces of the shrouds l in theperipheral portion arebeveled outwardly, as indicated at 4, whereby kwhen the parts are yriveted .together` under forces affording the desired compression-in the cent-ral or hub portion of the gear, the peripheral or toothed parts are left ksubstantially uncompressed. i

f Crther methods niayfbe employed torlobtainingthe desired result. Ve have found, for example, that by introducing between the disks 2 as shown for example at 4 in Fig.` 3

solid lubricant and by thereafter subjectingthe peripheral portion of the gear to the eects of a suitable solvent Afor the lubricant, or by'allowing the lubricant at the peripheral portion to become dislodged in normal operation, While lthe center or hub portions of tlie'gear are retained undera desired pressure, the compression inthe peripheral or toothed portion is relieved to an extent inaterially reducing the noises in operation.

A. further practical method of obtaining the desired results is illustrated in F ig.4,in Which the disks 2 'are'individually slightly 80 beveled in their peripheral portions s'o-as toy provide the desired freedom from compression in .this portion of the gear. t

W'e have further found that the operating noises may be-still further reduced by em- S5 ploying shrouds of special form. Thus for example as illustrated in Figs. 3 to 8 and l0, instead of forming the Yshrouds of solid relativelyheavy metal, We have built up thev getlier in any suitable manner, as by rivets y5,

va plurality of relatively thin plates or disks.

These laminated shrouds la do not possess iny they same degree as the lsolid shrouds the ycharacteristic of ringing under impact, and thenoises are correspondingly reduced.

In this laminated type fof gear, and particularly in gears of the form described above in which the peripheral portions of the laminated parts are leftsubstantially free from col pressure some difficulty has been found in securing the disks together in such manner as to positively prevent slight relative movements. le have found that by utilizing instead of the normal rivets shown in Figs. 2 to 5, inclusive, a threaded rivet. 3a, as shown in Fig. 6, the openings in tl e shrouds and in the disks 2 being correspondingly threaded, the parts may be positively held in fixed rigid relation.

Similar results are obtainable as illustrated in F ig. 7 by use ot a rivet 3b of tapered form, the openings through the gear body being correspondingly tapered. By driving the tapered rivet firmly into place in the riveting operation, the various elements of the gear body are bound closely together.

Similar satisfactory results are obtainable as shown in Fig. 8 by use of a plain rivet 3c of diameter slightly greater than 'the passage 6 through the gear body which receives the rivet, and by forcing the rivet into place by application of the required pressure.

In Figs. 9 and l0, we have illustrated a gear having a preferred form of laminated shroud. In this instance, the shroud laminat-ions are secured together in the peripheral portions by spot welding. Preferably the welded area will extend inwardly to a distance corresponding to thc height of the teeth. This materially aids in the teeth cutting operation.

Attention is directed to the fact that when using an arrangement of this character and very thin laminations such as are employed in the construction of the gear, (the ordinary laminations being six thousandths of an inch in thickness) it is possible to employ such thin laminations without danger of the same crushing since the pressure applied at the central portion of the disk; while not placing the laminations at the tooth portions under compression, insures their arrangement in contact so that they afford support to one another without presenting a. rigid body re` sulting in noisy operation. Quite obviously, since the shrouds themselves will have a certain degree of flexibility the compression will decrease from the points at which the rivets 3 are inserted to the peripheral portions of the gear.

There may be still further modifications Within the scope of the invention.

We claim 1. A laminated gear comprising spaced shrouds and a plurality of disks laid face to face and held under desired compression between said shrouds, and means whereby the said disks in the peripheral or toothed portion only of the gear are left substantially free from compression between the shrouds while being maintained in contact with one another and the shrouds.

2. A laminated gear comprising a pair of spaced shrouds, and a plurality of disks closely confined between said shrouds, said shrouds being beveled in the peripheral portion only and on the inner face whereby the bindin pressure of the shrouds upon the laminated body is reduced in the peripheral portion of the latter alone While maintaining contact bei tween the disks and between the disks and shrouds in said peripheral portion.

A laminated gear comprising a laminated body portion, laminated shrouds arranged at opposite sides of said body. and rivets binding said shrouds and laminated body together the laminations of the shrouds being welded to one another throughout the toothed area.

4. A laminated gea-r comprising a plurality of thin disks laid face to face, shrouds at opposite sides of said disks and means binding the disks and shrouds firmly together inwardly of the toothed area of the gear, the shrouds in the toothed area being relieved to an extent relieving compression of the toothed portions of the disks while maintaining contact therebetween and between the shrouds and the adjacent disks.

5. A laminated gear comprising a plurality of thin disks laid face to face, shrouds at opposite sides of said disks and means binding the disks and shrouds firmly together inwardly of' the toothed area of the gear, the shrouds in the toothed area being relieved to an extent relieving compression of the toothed portions of the disks while maintaining contact therebetween, said shrouds comprising laminre welded to one another in the toothed area of the gear.

GEORGE A. DALTON. JOHN R. DUNHAM. 

